A former Catholic nun breaks her silence to reveal the abuse she endured at the hands of the Church’s most celebrated priest - and the system built to protect him.
Gloria, a former Italian nun, breaks 30 years of silence to name her abuser, the prominent Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, a celebrated priest and artist close to the Vatican’s highest hierarchies. Rupnik’s mosaics grace some of the Catholic Church’s most important and visited shrines, basilicas, and sanctuaries around the world. When the Vatican ignores her letter, Gloria refuses to back down and embarks on a journey to expose a system built to protect power at any cost. NUNS VS THE VATICAN is more than an exposé; it’s a reckoning. Following former nun Gloria, the film pierces the silence around the Vatican’s systemic cover-ups of abuse, amplifying a rare insider’s voice while tracing her personal awakening. It confronts power while exposing a universal struggle: the courage to break silence, reclaim truth, and step into selfhood.
Gloria’s journey transcends the Catholic Church, becoming a deeply human and political statement. What can evil truly take from us? Institutions may wound, betray, or silence, but they cannot extinguish the dignity and humanity of those who survive
EMMY-winning documentary director and editor Lorena Luciano is a fellow of the Sundance Film Institute, IDA Enterprise, and the MacArthur Foundation. An indomitable storyteller, her impactful films resonate with global audiences, earning numerous Best Directing and Best Documentary awards. Raised in Italy, she moved to New York in 1996. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and film partner, Filippo Piscopo, and their two sons.
WORLD PREMIERE - Toronto International Film Festival Sept 6 & 7, 2025
US PREMIERE - DOC NYC Nov 15 and 20, 2025
HAMPTONS DOC FEST - Dec 6, 2025
